The Washington City Paper this week has an interesting look at how two D.C.-area Madden players struggled to win a spot on ESPN2's Madden Nation. The pair criss-crossed the country to win two separate regional finals and an all expenses paid trip to Hawaii, where they'll face off against 30 other finalists for a $100,000 grand prize on national TV.
Not all is wine and roses for these pro-level players, though. Maddener R.J. Warren got fired from his job at a video game store because of his obsession. Justin Chow has fallen a year behind in his studies at Radford University because of time spent with the game. What's worse, Chow says "this Madden thing, and the ability to make money on it, that has ruined me for other games. I'd just feel like I was wasting my time." The Madden, she is a harsh mistress.
